South End’s Street Sweeping Program Expanded to Other Neighborhoods

As the South End prepares for another year of its expanded street sweeping program, several other neighborhoods will implement changes pioneered in the South End this spring.  In 2012, the South End was the first neighborhood to experiment with an expanded street sweeping schedule to include the months of December and March, pending weather conditions.  This year, the program has expanded as of March 1st into the Beacon Hill neighborhood.  “Keeping Boston clean has always been a top priority for my administration,” Mayor Thomas Menino said in a statement. “We’re always looking for ways to improve our operations and by aligning the street sweeping schedule to match weekly trash collection, we’re maximizing the potential of each program to keep our streets clean.” Street sweeping during the months of December and March is weather and condition dependent and residents should sign up for “No Tow” alerts or check the City’s website for up-to-date information on sweeping schedules. Another program pioneered in the South End, aligning street sweeping with trash removal, will be implemented in Jamaica Plain, Dorchester and Mission Hill neighborhoods effective in April.  “This effort will provide cleaner streets and a reduction in rodent food sources,” the city said in a release.    Additional tips for residents from the city:  Signs for both day and night sweeping are posted in your neighborhood, which indicate the days and hours that parking is not allowed.  Residential streets are typically swept during the day program.  Main arterials and the downtown areas are swept in the night program. PWD has changed the 2013 posted days/hours for many residential streets to provide more effective street sweeping.  It is important to note the posted signs in your immediate neighborhood since they may have changed since last season. The night posted restrictions in all neighborhoods are in effect year round with the exceptions of weather-related cancellations. The South End day sweeping program begins on March 1 and ends on December 31.   Both the night and day sweeping programs will be enforced, which includes fines for illegal parking as well as towing. Comprehensive street sweeping information can be found at www.cityofboston.gov.  What’s your take on the expanded schedule in the South End? Are you happy to move your car often to see cleaner streets? Do you wish you had more of a break from it? Tell us in the comments.  SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch

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